Join us for a discussion with two novelists: Sarvat Hasin and Francesca Reece, chaired by Sarah Shaffi.

 

The Giant Dark Aida is the defining rock star of her age; her every move observed, examined and owned by a devoted, cultish fanbase.When she disappears without a trace into a complicated love affair they are determined to find her, uncover her truths and own her once more. Aida and Ehsan reconnect after a decade apart, hoping to recapture the innocent, lost love of their youth. Before long, their connection is strained by secrets and jealousies and the past begins to blur with their present as they follow in the footsteps of mythic lovers before them.The Giant Dark is an award-winning debut novel about love and fame. Inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, it explores the consuming and devastating effects of using a lover as a muse.

 

Voyeur Leah, a young woman who has found herself 'ambitioned' out of London, is now aimlessly adrift in Paris. Tired of odd jobs in cafes and teaching English to unresponsive social media influencers, her heart skips a beat when she spots an advert for a writer seeking an assistant.Michael was once the bright young star of the London literary scene, now a washed-up author with writer's block. He doesn't place much hope in the advert, but after meeting Leah is filled with an inspiration he hasn't felt in years. When Michael offers Leah the opportunity to join him and his family in their rambling but glorious property in the south of France for the summer, she finally feels her luck is turning.But as she begins to transcribe the diaries from his debauched life in 1960s Soho, something begins to nag at Leah's sense of fulfilment; that there might be more to Michael than meets the eye.

 

Sarvat Hasin is a writer. She grew up in Pakistan and now lives in London and works at the Almeida Theatre. She studied politics and international relations at Royal Holloway and has a Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Oxford. Her first novel, This Wide Night, was published by Penguin India and longlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Her second book, You Can’t Go Home Again, was published in 2018 and featured in Vogue India‘s and the Hindu‘s end of year lists. She won the Moth Writer’s Retreat Bursary in 2018 and the Mo Siewcharran Prize in 2019. Her essays and poetry have appeared in publications such as Outsiders, the Mays Anthology, English PEN and Harper’s Bazaar.

 

Francesca Reece grew up in Wales and having spent most of her twenties in Paris, now lives in London. She was the 2019 recipient of the Desperate Literature Prize for her short story ‘So Long Sarajevo/They Miss You So Badly’.

 

Sarah Shaffi is a journalist, editor and interviewer, writing for Stylist, Phoenix, Penguin.co.uk, The Bookseller, and The New Arab. She has notably interviewed Booker Prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo, poet Nikita Gill, and authors Jojo Moyes, Candice Carty-Williams and Liane Moriarty, among others, regularly interviewing authors at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Southbank Centre and Asia House Literature Festival. Among various radio appearances, she has judged the Jhalak Prize for Best Book by a Writer of Colour and The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.

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Choose between an in person ticket without the book, an in person ticket including one or both of the books (RRP: £16.99), a glass of wine and a ticket to attend the event in person and the opportunity to get your book signed and dedicated by the author. Virtual tickets include a copy of one or both of the books and a ticket to watch a live stream of the event.

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